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Harming someone's reputation in speech with falsehoods is known as slander, and doing the same thing in writing is known as libel (which sometimes includes speech as well). Any ordinary citizen who can claim to have suffered harm as a result of such defamation may sue. So why aren't politicians suing all the time? Because an exception is made for "public persons" (a category that includes most other celebrities as well), who must also prove that any such statement was made with "reckless disregard for the truth". And although, even by that standard, public persons are defamed all the time, most of them have decided that it's better to just grin and bear it.
Synonyms
Examples of defamation in a Sentence
Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 15 Apr. 2024
Tensions had been brewing for years inside Clare Locke, a top defamation law firm.
—David Enrich, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defamation 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defamation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Defamation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defamation. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
defamation
noun
W. L. Prosser and W. P. Keeton
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